The Guaranteed Gain System, or “GGS,” provides additional opportunities for skill gain alongside the basic skill gain system within Ultima Online. Although it may benefit every player at one time or another, those who play infrequently and those who suffer from consistent bad luck when attempting to increase their skills may find it especially beneficial.

UO’s basic skill gain operates as a “use-based system,” and each time a character successfully uses a skill he or she has the possibility of gaining in that skill—sometimes the character will gain skill, other times not.

GGS tracks each successful use of a skill, and whether or not skill points were gained in the wake of that success. If no skill points are gained over a given period of time, then GGS will award the character a minimum skill point gain as compensation.

It should be noted that if you use a skill and fail, GGS will not come into play. Characters will only be able to gain skill after having successfully performed an action—GGS simply improves the odds that you will gain skill points with each successful skill use.

Characters will still be able to gain skill points in the normal use-based fashion—GGS will simply be keeping track of how long it has been since you had gained a point of skill and award you a mandatory point (as in 0.0 to 0.1) if you had not gained your own after a certain period of time.

GGS Timer: The length of the time period, or “timer,” between 0.1 skill point gains is based on the level of skill; the timer will increase as characters achieve a higher total of skill points.

If the time period passes and you do not gain skill points through the regular use-based method, you will gain a point thanks to GGS. GGS time periods are based on the server system clock, meaning that you don’t have to be logged in for your timers to refresh.

However, the use-based system is not restricted by time. Therefore, even if you had just gained a point through the GGS, the game would still check for skill gain under the use-based system—although, admittedly, it would still be incredibly difficult to gain skill in this way at the high end range.

For example: You cast a spell of moderate difficulty, and succeed, but you do not gain skill. If you continue to succeed in the use of the skill but the relevant time period passes and you have still not gained a point in that skill, then you will gain a point in that skill the next time you successfully use that skill.

The chart below may be used as an estimate of the amount of time that may need to pass (after multiple consecutive skill-use successes without skill point gains) before a character will see a raise of 0.1 within the noted bracket due to GGS, and NOT how long it will take to pass through the whole bracket. Please note that these time periods are not to be used as an absolute rule, but instead as a general guide—as the saying goes, “your mileage may vary.”

For example, a player with a total of 700 total skill points and 82.3 Blacksmithy has been practicing his craft for some time, but has been failing steadily hasn’t noted any skill gains. We can cross-reference the “80.0 – 84.9” row with the “700 total skill points” column and see that if this pattern continues for a total of 15.0 hours GGS will compel a 0.1 gain, making her Blacksmithy raise from 82.3 to 82.4.

If this unlucky streak returns after that and lasts another 15 hours, she will go from 82.4 to 82.5, and so on.

GGS affected by the difficulty of the task: The most noticeable difference between GGS and previous skill gain systems or incentives is that gains for skills that score in the 90s, for example, are not only possible during normal or casual play, they are guaranteed—provided you are successfully performing your skill in or around your current skill level.

An example of “performing at your skill level” could be someone casting Magic Arrow with a Magery skill of 90.0, which would provide no chance whatsoever to gain skill in Magery even considering GGS, as that spell is of too low a spell circle to be challenging for someone with that high a Magery score. You would need to cast higher circle spells to see guaranteed skill gain. Similarly, crafting daggers with a Blacksmithy of 80.0 would provide no chance to gain skill in Blacksmithy.

Skills that are not difficulty based, however, would always have a chance to gain (without concern for the challenge level of the task being attempted).

Approximate GGS time period between 0.1 skill gains

Skill

350 total skill points

500 total skill points

700 total skill points

0.0 – 4.9

1 minute

3 minutes

5 minutes

5.0 – 9.9

4 minutes

10 minutes

18 minutes

10.0 – 14.9

7 minutes

17 minutes

30 minutes

15.0 – 19.9

9 minutes

24 minutes

44 minutes

20.0 – 24.9

12 minutes

31 minutes

57 minutes

25.0 – 29.9

14 minutes

38 minutes

1.2 hours

30.0 – 34.9

17 minutes

45 minutes

1.4 hours

35.0 – 39.9

20 minutes

52 minutes

1.6 hours

40.0 – 44.9

23 minutes

60 minutes

1.8 hours

45.0 – 49.9

25 minutes

1.1 hours

2.0 hours

50.0 – 54.9

27 minutes

1.2 hours

2.3 hours

55.0 – 59.9

33 minutes

1.5 hours

2.7 hours

60.0 – 64.9

55 minutes

2.5 hours

4.4 hours

65.0 – 69.9

1.3 hours

3.6 hours

6.5 hours

70.0 – 74.9

1.9 hours

4.9 hours

9.0 hours

75.0 – 79.9

2.4 hours

6.4 hours

11.8 hours

80.0 – 84.9

3.0 hours

8.2 hours

15.0 hours

85.0 – 89.9

3.8 hours

10.1 hours

18.6 hours

90.0 – 94.9

4.6 hours

12.4 hours

22.6 hours

95.0 – 99.9

5.6 hours

14.9 hours

27.0 hours

100.0 – 104.9

6.6 hours

17.6 hours

32.0 hours

105.0 – 109.9

7.8 hours

20.7 hours

38.0 hours

110.0 – 114.9

9.0 hours

24.0 hours

43.0 hours

115.0 – 120.0

10.3 hours

27.7 hours

51.0 hours

Rate Over Time System

On Siege Perilous and Mugen, the RoT (Rate over time) system applies for gaining skill points above 70. RoT resets once per day, at 8pm EST/1am GMT.

Skill points for skills less than 70 points will gain as normal shards.

Skill points for skills between 70 and 79.9 points have a time limit of 5 minutes between points gained. (250 minutes min to gain 5.0 skill)

Skill points for skills between 80 and 89.9 have a time limit of 8 minutes between points gained. (320 minutes min to gain 4.0 skill)

Skill points for skills between 90 and 99.9 have a time limit of 12 minutes between points gained. (360 minutes min to gain 3.0 skill points)

Skill points for skills between 100 and 120 have a time limit of 15 minutes between points gained. (750 minutes min to gain 5.0 skill points)

Players will be allowed to gain 15 stat points a day.

Last modified: February 20, 2012

2 Comments to “Skill Gain Systems”

Ok I am having something weird or just unluckier than I have ever seen. I have started a char on Siege, not a newb here but it has been a decade or more since I have played. So I read up on all the above Siege skill gaining as a refresher before I started, as well as other guides. The thing is, what I am seeing is not at all what is described in the reading. I can’t get a weapons skill gain more than .1 per day and both archery AND swordsmanship are 64 and 42 respectively. Tactics stopped going up at 50.1 and hasn’t gained in 2 days. Yet at the same time focus rocketed to 90 in days with Anatomy(which I capped at 70) All through this my Bushido at 76.4 has gone up 2.7 points in the last hour? What is happening? Has something REALLY changed since the above was written?